10 Steps to 
Getting That Grant

Whether you're new to grant writing or a veteran, this article shares some of the first steps for all levels of grant writers. Many grant writers hold other job-related titles, yet they find themselves charged with what feels like the laborious task of searching high and low for grant-funding opportunities. Once they find that illusive needle in the haystack, they frantically try to carve out the time to read the grant application's instructions and write a competitive application narrative.

In this article, I want to introduce less experienced grant writers and grant managers to the basics of each writing and management process. Let's get started!

How to achieve 
proposal-writing success

Step 1: Stay focused.

Have a funding plan (know what you need and all potential sources of funding).

Step 2: Create boilerplate.

Develop an annual organizational background/capability narrative section boilerplate (reuse this in all grant applications until the information needs updating).

Step 3: Validate 
the funding need.

Create your statement of need based on recent and citable demographics. Avoid using these terms: any, all, most, some, nearly, everyone. (They are fatal!) Facts and stats, that's all!

Step 4: Present an 
evidence-based solution 
for meeting needs.

Whether the funding agency is government or private sector (foundations and corporations), the program design (aka solution section) must be based on evidence-based solutions (successful model programs or services created by organizations similar to yours) that your organization adopts wholly or with modifications to meet your specific geographic location(s) and targeted population(s).

Step 5: Incorporate 
relevant graphics.

Rule of thumb and space permitting, I like to create one table, chart or map for every two pages of narrative text. Grant reviewers need visual stimulation, and the right graphics certainly stimulate. Go easy on colors, and don't take up the whole page. Graphics in moderation can create visual magic!

Step 6: Make the manage-
ment plan reviewer-worthy.

Include position titles, time assigned to grant-funded project (full time equivalency allocations), and grant-related qualifications and tasks.

Step 7: Finish the program 
design's big picture in 
the evaluation plan.

Make sure to repeat (from the program-design narrative) the measurable (smart, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) objectives, process objectives and impact objectives, and then show how each of the objectives will be measured and when the measurements will be collected (frequency of monitoring and reporting).

Step 8: Check, check and recheck the budget detail.

After you write the narrative section of the grant application, print it out. Sit down and put dollar signs next to every sentence/paragraph in the program design, evaluation plan and management plan that generates an expense for your organization. Using these dollar-sign guides, you can start to create your line-item detail for personnel, fringe benefits, travel, contracts, construction, equipment and more. Never try to prepare the budget section before you write the complete grant-application narrative!

Step 9: Line up the mandatory attachments early.

Do not wait until the last minute to start creating or collecting the funder's entire list of mandatory attachments. You can even have a co-worker assigned to gathering all of these critical finishing-touch documents.

Step 10: Submit the 
grant application early.

You need to submit the grant application at least 72 business hours before it is due. Waiting until the last minute with any funder, especially on the Grants.gov system, can result in missing the deadlines. Submit early!

How to plan for stress-free grants management

The good news comes in: You just received an award letter, call or e-mail indicating that all of the tips and skills you acquired have paid off. Your organization has a grant award! Take time to celebrate immediately because the reality of managing a grant-funded program and grants-
management reporting will soon set in. Every funder has different requirements. Government grant management is the most rigorous and demands the highest level of accountability. Here are some strategic action steps to reduce stress when it comes to the grant-management process:

Step 1: Assess early on how you want to manage grants.

There are several grants-management software programs available, as well as multiple online grants-management (aka tracking and reporting) systems that make your job easier and deliver plentiful reports. Shop around and determine what's best for your organization. Managing grants manually using combined software programs can result in grant-management chaos.

Step 2: Understand grant-agreement requirements.

By accepting grant funds, your organization agrees to comply with the general and special grant provisions (for government grants, this means federal statutes, regulations and guidelines). Your organization agrees to operate the funded program in accordance with the approved grant application and budget. Your notice of funding will reference any grant-
management provisions (like U.S. Office of Management and Budget circulars).

Step 3: Create a 
program-implementation 
management plan.

The program-management plan takes into account all of the key components of your funded grant proposal or application. These components are program mission, goals, measurable objectives, process tasks or objectives (in your timeline chart), logic model, management plan, and of course, the budget detail narrative. Questions to ask to flush out your plan include:

• What are all of the promised deliverables?
• What is the cost of each deliverable (tying various activities or tasks to one or more line items in your budget)?

Managing the grant-funded program's implementation process (including the evaluation process) is as important as managing the grant's financial-accountability process. Grants management goes hand in hand with grant evaluation. The process and levels of accountability are linked at every turn when you prepare reports for the funders, who want to see the implementation progress along with the point-in-time expenditures. Finally, the program-implementation management plan allows you to forecast the funding needed for each week, month, quarter and year of the grant-funding cycle.

Step 4: Choose and use a comprehensive system for managing budgets and finances.

Your organization must be able to demonstrate sound financial practices. Accounting systems must meet generally accepted accounting principles requirements if you accept grant awards from any government agency. It's critical that your organization has a software system in place that tracks, manages and documents expenses throughout the life of the grant award. Of course, you want a system that sends calendar or e-mail alerts when reports are due and reminds everyone involved in the grants-management process.

You also want to shop around for a system that is online and allows you to upload reports directly by clicking on one link versus having to visit 20 websites for 20 different grant awards. Remember, you need to continually track available financial resources versus point-in-time expenditures. Cost management, manual or automated, requires understanding and following cost principles pertaining to matching-funds requirements, allowable costs and, for government grants, indirect costs.

In summary, it's important to be prepared when you're planning to write a grant proposal or when you're the designated grants 
manager. Both job hats require 
rigorous attention to detail, advanced planning, and ongoing, frequent checkpoints to determine what's done and what still has to be done. Be prepared. Follow these easy steps, and plan for grant-writing and grants-
management success! FS

Dr. Bev Browning is vice president of grants professional services at eCivis. Contact her at bbrowning@ecivis.com.